Saint Thomas More (1478-1535)
Saint Thomas More is perhaps the most famous English saint because of the play and subsequent movie based on his life, A Man for All Seasons. Thomas More was an educated man who was also deeply religious. He considered becoming …
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-1591)
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga was born to a wealthy Italian family in the late 1500s. Inspired by the lives of the saints and his love of prayer, Aloysius gave up a life of luxury and comfort to join the Society of …
Saint John of Pulsano (d.1139)
Saint John of Pulsano joined the Benedictines, but was disliked by his brothers because of his rigid severity and discipline. They thought that John was trying to outdo them or make them look bad to others. John left his monastery …
Saint Romuald (c.951-1027)
Saint Romuald felt a calling deep in his heart to live virtuously, but ignored the call in his youth. He spent many years devoted to the world and its pleasures. However, his life changed forever when he witnessed his father …
Saint Elizabeth of Schonau (c.1130-1164)
Saint Elizabeth of Schonau was brought up in a Benedictine monastery from the age of 12. She saw the monastery as her home and took her vows. Elizabeth was gifted with visions, prayerful ecstasies and prophecies, and she waged a …
Saint Teresa of Portugal (d.1250)
Saint Teresa was the daughter of the king of Portugal. She married her cousin and they lived happily, with the blessing of many children. After several years, their marriage was proclaimed invalid because the two were so closely related and …
Saint Lutgardis (1182-1246)
Saint Lutgardis never wanted to enter a convent. However, her supposed vocation in life of marriage and children changed when her dowry was lost in a bad business deal. Since her parents didn't think they could marry her off without …
Saint Germaine of Pibrac (1579-1601)
Saint Germaine of Pibrac was born with a withered hand. She was desperately poor, growing up on a farm in the French countryside. She was mistreated by her stepmother, fed on scraps, and forced to sleep in the stable. She …
Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (810-886)
Saint Joseph the Hymnographer was born in Sicily in 830, but had to flee his homeland due to an Arab invasion. He entered the monastery of Studium in Constantinople, but was again forced to flee when the iconoclast persecution broke …
Saint Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)
“Saint Anthony, Saint Anthony, please come around. Something is lost and needs to be found.” You might hear this rhyme when someone has lost something, like car keys. That’s because Saint Anthony of Padua is the patron saint of searchers …
Saint John of Sahagun (1419-1479)
Saint John of Sahagun was a priest, spiritual advisor, scholar, and preacher. He became an Augustinian friar and had prayerful visions, performed miracles, and had the gift of reading souls. He publicly denounced evil actions, which angered some townsfolk who …
Saint Barnabas (1st century)
Although Saint Barnabas was not one of the original Twelve Apostles, he became friends with Saint Paul and is considered an honorary Apostle. He was originally called Joseph, but was given the name Barnabas by the other Apostles, which means …
Saint Landericus (d.661)
Saint Landericus's deep love for God and the poor guided every action in his life. He was elected Bishop of Paris, and worked very hard to improve the lives of the poor in his diocese. He sold all of his …
Saint Ephrem (c.306-373)
Saint Ephrem was born around the year 306 and died in 373 at Edessa, called Urfa today, in Iraq. He was a famous theologian and writer, but he is best known for his musical writings--hymns, songs, and homilies--written to be …
Saint William of York (d.1154)
Saint William of York was born into a wealthy and powerful family in 12th-century England. It seemed like he would have an easy road to greatness, but family conflicts complicated things. William was appointed Archbishop of York. However, the joy …
Saint Gottschalk (d.1066)
Saint Gottschalk was a Christian prince of Wends, but he turned his back on his religion when his father was murdered by a Christian Saxon. Gottschalk spent some time serving in the army of Canute of Denmark. He became a …
Saint Norbert (1080-1134)
Saint Norbert of the Rhineland was knocked off his horse and had an epiphany. He "became a sincere penitent, gave away all of his property to the poor, established the Order of Premonstratensians, and accepted the dignity of the Archbishop." …
Saint Boniface (c.680-754)
Saint Boniface was a Benedictine monk from England who gave up being an abbot to work to convert the Germanic tribes. He was well-known for his orthodoxy to the Christian faith and his loyalty to the pope of Rome. When …
Saint Francis Caracciolo (1563-1608)
Saint Francis Caracciolo had a rare skin disease that resembled leprosy. When he was ordained a priest, the mysterious condition went away. He joined the White Robes of Justice, who ministered to condemned prisoners. He was mistakenly contacted by John …
Saint Kevin (c.498-618)
Saint Kevin's name in Gaelic was Coemgen, and he founded a monastery in the little valley called Glendalough. There are many stories of Kevin, perhaps the most famous of which is of a blackbird laying eggs in his hand. Kevin's …
Sts. Marcellinus and Peter (d.304)
Saint Marcellinus was a priest and Saint Peter was an exorcist. They were imprisoned for their Christian faith under the persecution of Diocletian, but did not lose their hope or zeal. In fact, they used their time in jail to …
Saint Justin Martyr (c.100-165)
Saint Justin was on a never-ending quest for religious truth. He was a pagan philosopher who converted to Christianity through Scripture study and witnessing the bravery and unwavering faith of martyrs. Justin found that Christianity answered questions about life better …
Saint Mechtildis (d.1160)
Saint Mechtildis was the daughter of a count and countess. Her parents built a monastery on their estate in Bavaria and placed Mechtildis there at the age of five. She became a Benedictine nun and was eventually appointed abbess. The …
Saint Joan of Arc (1412-1431)
Joan of Arc, while still in her teens, was burned at the stake because of her faith in God. She had been born into a peasant family in France, and was a child at the time of the Hundred Years' …
